Meaning & use
misplacing
Last updated
“misplacing” is a form of “misplace”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Putting something in the wrong place so that you cannot find it later.
Grammar: Often used in progressive tenses; takes an object: I keep misplacing my keys.
Patterns
- misplace something
- keep misplacing something
- misplacing something again
I am always misplacing my glasses and then spending ages looking for them.
She accused me of misplacing the documents, but I never touched them.
Misplacing your passport while traveling can cause serious problems.
verbtransitive
Giving trust, love, or attention to someone who does not deserve it.
Grammar: Often used in the passive or with words like trust, confidence, or affection as the object.
Patterns
- misplace your trust
- misplace your confidence
- misplaced loyalty
He misplaced his trust in a business partner who later cheated him.
Her misplaced affection for the wrong person caused her a lot of pain.
The company misplaced its confidence in a product that never sold well.
Word forms
| third person singular | misplaces |
|---|---|
| past tense | misplaced |
| past participle | misplaced |
| -ing form | misplacing |
Common combinations
- keep misplacing
- I keep misplacing my phone in the strangest places.
- misplace your keys
- If you misplace your keys, check the kitchen counter.
- misplace your trust
- She misplaced her trust in a man who lied to her.
- misplaced loyalty
- His misplaced loyalty to the team cost him his job.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mislay
- More formal and often used for temporarily losing an object; misplace is more common in everyday speech.
- lose
- More general and can mean you cannot find something permanently, while misplace suggests you put it in the wrong spot.
Opposites
Word family
- misplace verb
- Base form; to put something in the wrong place or trust wrongly.
- misplaced adjective
- Describes something put in the wrong place or given to the wrong person.
- misplacement noun
- The act of putting something in the wrong place.
Commonly confused: misplacing or displace? misplacing or replace?
misplacing vs displace
Displace means to force something out of its usual position, often in a physical or social sense, while misplace means to lose something by putting it in the wrong spot.
misplacing vs replace
Replace means to put something back or use instead of another; misplace means to lose track of something by putting it somewhere wrong.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'misplacing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B correctly uses 'misplacing' to mean giving trust wrongly. Option An is wrong because 'misplacing' does not mean putting something down; it means putting it in the wrong place and then not finding it. Option C is wrong because you cannot 'misplace' a meeting; you 'postpone' it. Option D is wrong because 'misplacing' does not mean handing something in.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “misplacing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.